The fourth in the Sigma dp Quattro series of digital cameras has been announced. The dp0 Quattro incorporates a fixed 14 mm f/4 lens (21 mm equivalent) optimized to maximize the performance of the series’ Foveon “Quattro” Direct Image sensor.

The Quattro line is great for photographers seeking a unique product, and the 14 mm f/4 lens is meant to take full advantage of the Foveon sensor.

The camera is more lens than anything else, and it features four “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) glass elements, which have performance equal to fluorite, two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements, and two aspheric lenses, including a wide double-sided aspheric lens. This reduces chromatic aberration and distortion, says Sigma.

The company also says the camera offers sharp rendering performance from the maximum aperture, and the superior telecentric optical design improves image quality throughout the frame and maximizes the sensor’s ability by passing on information about subjects to the sensor.

The Quattro sensor is the equivalent of a 39-megapixel Bayer sensor in resolution testing. The next generation sensor builds on the distinctive properties of the X3 technology, which uniquely records red, green and blue wavelengths at each pixel location within three layers.

The Quattro sensor is a three-layered, panchromatic silicon chip whose green-sensitive middle and red-sensitive bottom layers each have 4.9-megapixels and record only colour/chrominance information. The top blue layer captures chrominance and resolution/luminance information with 19.6-megapixels, resulting in greater detail capture and resolution capabilities that are higher than the Merrill DP camera line, notes Sigma.

The Quattro sensor’s architecture is also said to contribute to true colour rendition, more detail capture, and faster image processing.

The dp0 Quattro camera will also feature an optional dedicated optical viewfinder offering accurate framing and making composition easier; TRUE III Image processor, providing ultrafast processing of an immense volume of image data without any deterioration of the final image; better high ISO performance with one to two stops of improvement; and improved 3A performance: Auto Color Mode, Auto Focus and Auto White Balance.

This now gives a lineup of the dp0 with 14 mm lens, dp1 with 19 mm lens, dp2 with 30 mm lens, and dp3 with 50 mm lens, as well as the dp3 with dedicated conversion 1.2x lens.